...One Of Those Smiles The Lips Have Forgotten Before They Reach The Eyes...

Thanks to everyone who's bought/streamed "Endless Arcade" thus far, propelling us to Number 11 (count ' em) in the Official UK album Charts on the week of release.

And thanks for all the kind words; most especially this from Brendan O' Hare...

If you missed (or you'd like to relive, you crazy person) the Tim's Twitter Listening Party happening - here's the link.

I should have posted this pic during it - my POV in the Hamburg studio...

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Ah, l' esprit de l'escalier.

There have been a load of articles here and there. The Line Of Best Fit interviewed Norman and Raymond about The Pivotal Moments Of Teenage Fanclub.

If you haven't bought "Endless Arcade" yet (huh?) - you can do so here.

What else?

Wee interview with the great Julian Barratt - here.

Wee interview with the great Toby Jones - here.

And speaking of Toby Jones (Silky! -Ed.) I enjoyed TJ's adaption of 5 x Marcovaldo stories by Italo Calvino on Radio 4 (thanks for the tip, Eugene). Jones narrates and McKenzie Crook is understatedly brilliant as the put upon hero. They made me re-read this:

Now I'm reading some Raymond Chandler for a thing.

I've been getting into cheese - the dairy foodstuff. 

Some Alp Blossom last week

I've got an idea for a joke:

How do a porcupine and a slice of Welsh cheese make love?

Very Caerphilly. 

Admittedly it's not quite there yet. Needs development. Might start a crowdfunder.

TV? I'm still watching The Hairy Bikers, Monty Python, Futurama, Giants Of Snooker...

And finally, Esther....

I was glad to write the titles music for Series 3 of Inside Culture With Mary Beard.

And so to bed.

It's Here

As I write the new Teenage Fanclub album "Endless Arcade" has finally been released into the wild.

It was a pleasure to make: grooving to Dave's bass-playing, eating schnitzel (not at the same time) and generally hitting drums on great songs. Working and hanging out with good people is something I try not to take for granted.

Aye, aye aye, very good. But is it up to much?

Well, you can make up your own mind by clicking here.

Now this was a rollercoaster ride...

... I don't think I've ever read a book so quickly. And if you want me to sum it up - I can't.

Here's a sweet read for dog-lovers and non-dog-lovers alike..

I've been watching Holy Grail, Life Of Brian, yada.

I recommend this documentary series about the amazing Greta Thunberg.

To quote Ivor Cutler, women of the world world - take over. Greta for president; Dee Hepburn for Minister For Sport:

If you love Gregory's Girl as much as me - here's a lovely chat between Nicola Meighan, Clare Grogan, Alex Norton and Bill Forsyth. 

Farewell, Jim Steinman. Wagner maybe have written The Ring Cycle - but you wrote Dead Ringer For Love and Total Eclipse Of The Heart. I found this interview with Meatloaf moving.

I've been making music for an arts programme for BBC TWO and also for The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival 2021.

Here's an opportunity for any budding or established Scottish or Scottish-based composers that you may know.

This looks interesting...

Tickets - https://www.dounetherabbithole.co.uk

We (Teenage Fanclub) were asked to recommend some Bandcamp music - so we did.

Finally - I enjoyed writing the music for this ad (trigger warning - this might make you want to become a filmmaker and move to Scotland):

Hello, Motherwell...

"Hello, Motherwell!"

"In Our Dreams" is taken from the new Teenage Fanclcub album "Endless Arcade" - out on 30th April.

You can pre-order it here.

Strange to be releasing an album without a tour in tow. But these are strange times.

Check in here for future live shows.

I enjoyed being back in Motherwell Civic for the video shoot. Hadn't been there in yonks (aside from one Fanclub gig in *relatively* recent times). Lots of my own teenage memories bubbled up; gigs with the Motherwell District Concert Band (with whom I played drums/percussion; meeting saxophonist Joe McAlinden who brought me into the orbits of The Boy Hairdressers, BMX Bandits and The Groovy Little Numbers) and also with A Parcel O' Rogues - a school folk band with whom I pretended to play the bodharn, writing tunes with my best pal John McCusker. But enough reminiscing from this misty-eyed old fool - forgi’e a hameless loon that canna see for tears...

I am reading this:

I'm enjoying it for its wit as much as anything:

"Then, feeling that this shifting of attention from herself to Mrs. Morgan's husband's sister was to be encouraged, she led Mrs. Morgan on to a further recital of that lady's career, including her gentlemen friends, her varicose veins and her final demise without a burial insurance."

TV? Mister Winner; The Mind Of Benedict Clunkerdunk (end credits of the last episode = particularly good); Monty Python (Series 1 of Flying Circus & Holy Grail); Wandavision; Futurama; The Hairy Bikers: Route 66...

 

And I liked both episodes of this.

If, like me, you watched "Only When I Laugh" back in the day...

...you might enjoy this interview with Christopher Strauli.

I was moved by this piece of writing by Audrey Gillan who has spent Lockdown on Armona.

I like listening to this from Víkingur Ólafsson.

Re-watched - and loved - this. (If I'm ever invited on to Desert Island Discs I might have to choose America as one of my songs.) I inflicted half an hour of this on a certain 12 year-old who said, "He reminds me of the grumpy grandfather in Up". He had a point.

I have been writing some music inspired by Humphrey Bogart. But that's another story.

The Scottish Awards For New Music 2021 are go!

And there's just time for Nigella's Doughnut French Toast recipe.

Oh Oobee Doo

In case you haven't heard the news, Teenage Fanclub have a new album out soon. "Endless Arcade" can be pre-ordered here.

"The Sun Won't Shine On Me" is a wee taster:

For other info visit www.teenagefanclub.com

I've been on a Louis Prima kick recently. I have a distant memory of sitting in an Italian restaurant in Renfield St, Glasgow with the late Alex Chilton and a couple of other folk. Whatever they had on the sound system, Alex asked the staff if they would let him stick on his Best Of Louis Prima CD instead. They obliged and Alex grinned like the Cheshire Cat That Got The Cream. I remember Alex talking up "That Old Black Magic" and such at the time. But for some reason a switch just flipped with me a few days ago.

Prima's duet (as King Louie) with Baloo The Bear is probably my favourite sequence in all of the Disney movies.

"Pennies From Heaven is on repeat in my head (Teenage Fanclub should get into some scat singing). 

But here's Louis getting as good as he gives courtesy of Keely Smith. Their live shows must have been a riot...

I have the notion to give this a go...

If you get the chance to see Killing Escobar I would recommend taking it.

I've been re-watching Fawlty Towers. The episode The Germans references Britain joining the Common Market with Basil saying he didn't vote for it. And now look where we are.

Dunblane: Our Story was recently repeated on BBC One. I appreciated the opportunity to work on the music. Director Stephen Bennett made a powerful, moving film - deserving of its Scottish BAFTA.

I'm currently writing country-ish music for a TV documentary and also titles music for a children's TV show.

Stay safe.

Me And Sandi Toksvig

Teenage Fanclub's new album "Endless Arcade" will be on Tim's Twitter Listening Party on Thursday 6th May. Now available on Bandcamp - here's the link. Surely that's as good an excuse as any to share this again:

I'm on to another Le Carré...

A pages long discussion between government departments about funding covert security and intelligence missions should be pretty dull, but Le Carré gives us a splendid passive aggressive comedy of manners. And there are great wee occasional phrases like this - describing George Smiley - "he sat like his own effigy".

Hooray for this from Onjali Rauf

I wrote the music for this TV trailer.

Nigella's quesadillas are doing it for me.

Laura Cantrell covers Freedy Johnston for Charity: hear her here.

Velvet Sheep asked me to recommend a song. But what did I choose?!? Find out here.

I've been writing music for a proposed children's TV show, and also a documentary about certain people on Lewis. More I cannot say.

I've been dipping into this gem of a book:

TV? Darren McGarvey's Class Wars; Murder In A Small Town; The Mandalorian; Futurama; Junior Bake Off...

Marcus Harben passed away. I didn't know him well but I liked him a lot. I hadn't seen him for years but when I think of him, he is smiling. Sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. I'll repost this.

For Those Inclined...

So the new Teenage Fanclub album "Endless Arcade" will now be released on 30th April, 2021.

Revised UK/Europe tour info and other news at www.teenagefanclub.com

 

This video is edited from footage of us recording new single "I'm More Inclined" at Clouds Hill Recording Studios in Hamburg. Fun times.

I loved working on the music for "Beyond Burns"...

...a gem of a programme about Scottish poetry presented by Jackie Kay. Here's the BBC iplayer link.

Gregory's Girl, 7:84, The Steamie, Chic Murray, Clint Eastwood, Dudley Moore, Napoleon... - I'm nearly finished Alex Norton's autobiography. 

I am glad his pal the late Jeremy Beadle suggested that he write it. (really.) Chapter 50 has a wonderful wee John Martyn anecdote which speaks well of the kindness of Blythe Duff. Many moons ago in the foyer of a Bayswater hotel after a Laura Cantrell gig, John Martyn gave some of us a telling off for something or other. Not that great an anecdote admittedly. To quote Neil Armstrong, you had to be there.

I have been writing an insane amount of TV music for project with a short deadline. (Which I can't tell you about.) A mad, intense workload. It never rains but it pours.

Fare thee well.

Comrade Fulton

 OK.

It's January.

Over Christmas two documentaries for which I provided music were repeated: Snowmen, Bogeymen And Milkmen about Raymond Briggs and Paddington: The Man Behind The Bear about Michael Bond. The new Inside Central Station Xmas Special popped up (with a third series in the pipeline); the intro has me in a Santa hat miming playing my titles music on a piano in the concourse of the station. Dignity, always dignity. Oh and a new compilation series of Emergency Helicopter Medics is off and running. Hooray.

Aye but what have I been up to? Em...Walking the dog; baking treacle scones; and putting the finishing touches to the music for a TV doc about poetry for BBC Scotland. 

Some treacle scones last week

I finished reading "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" - which was great.

I watched the new Pixar/Disney "Soul". I enjoyed it - while failing to be completely emotionally floored.

I tore through this:

It's a great book which brought back memories of my Lee Hazlewood record-hunting in Birmingham, Bergen and elsewhere, and also of attending his show at The Royal Festival Hall in 1999. It brought to mind my own experiences of working with a few interesting 'artistic types' over the years. Wyndham Wallace's book is a page turnin' celebration of a professional and personal friendship. You can hear that voice in the retelling of some great stories. If you haven't read it and you like the music of Lee Hazlewood  - you might just eat it up like me.

Incidentally how would you approach covering a well-known Swedish folk song if you didn't speak the language? Here's how Lee did it:

Now I'm reading Alex Norton's autobiography. Chapter One tells of his Gorbals school days. Someone from the Education Department visits the classroom and, after some spelling and sums, observes the kids being creative with plasticine:

"What's this?",  she enquired.

"Please, Miss", said Rab "It's a man."

"And why", she asked, "has it got three legs?"

"Please, Miss, that's his cock."

"I see", she said in an eerily flat tone, "Well take it off at once and make it into a hat."

Comrade Jolly

It's 1983 in the late, lamented Odeon cinema, Hamilton in Deepest Lanarkshire (anywhere in Lanarkshire is Deepest Lanarkshire). I can't remember what I am there to see, but during the Coming Attractions the trailer for Gorky Park flits by. Rikki Fulton (eh?) plays a KGB baddie. Maybe it is something to do with reading John Le Carré or whatever, but over 35 years since that first flickering glance I finally decide to give it a watch. Screenplay by Dennis Potter. Oh. Why there's Michael Elphick. Oh there's Alexei Sayle! And Brian Dennehy. And Lee Marvin....It's dated, charming-in-its-own-way hokum. But at least I now know that for myself. I picked at it and dipped into it over three nights. By coincidence on the third and final day it was announced that its director Michael Apted had died. (Apted was responsible for the 7Up series of documentaries which were both great and grim; watching footage of a 7 year-old talking about how their life might turn out, juxtaposed with footage of the child 14, 21 or 35 years later = yikes.) I'm not really going anywhere with all of this except to say that being glad you watched something isn't the same as recommending it. In the same spirit. I fancy revisiting The Cassandra Crossing sometime. I remember seeing it - the whole film, not just the trailer - at yon Hamilton Odeon, back in the Olden Days. (Funnily enough Richard Harris makes a nice cameo in Lee, Myself and I.)

I enjoyed the first episode of "The Years That Changed Modern Scotland".

Stay safe.